


The Little Fox

by hero_hero



Series: Foxbody [1]
Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Animals, Angst, Astronomy, Constellations, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fox!Jeongin, M/M, Minho is the moon, jisung is the sun, this is a mess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-22
Updated: 2020-02-22
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:02:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 20,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22838260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hero_hero/pseuds/hero_hero
Summary: In which Jeongin is the constellation Vulpecula, who makes a wish on a shooting star and gets turned into a fox on Earth.
Relationships: Bang Chan/Hwang Hyunjin, Hwang Hyunjin & Yang Jeongin | I.N, Hwang Hyunjin/Yang Jeongin | I.N, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Series: Foxbody [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1641826
Comments: 27
Kudos: 164





	The Little Fox

**Author's Note:**

> I…really don’t know what this is. A mess?
> 
> Well, it’s inspired by one of my favorite books called “Dogsbody” by Diana Wynne Jones. And I just like the concept of Jeongin being able to shape-shift into a fox. So there’s that.
> 
> As always, this is unbeta’d, so please forgive any typos or mistakes.
> 
> disclaimer: I wasn’t comfortable with deleting this entire series because of one person’s horrible actions, but since KWJ such a crucial character in this, it was also difficult to edit him out or replace him with someone else. SO, this work does include KWJ as a major character. But I understand if you don’t want to read this series because of him.

Vulpecula was a lonely constellation.

It was tiny, dim, and, to most observers, unremarkable. Compared to the brilliant constellations of the Summer Triangle which surrounded it, Vulpecula barely had a chance. While all the other constellations nearby had their own stories and myths and odes written about them and were never short of a telescope turned in their direction, Vulpecula was just…there. Watching. Waiting for its time to shine, so to speak.

It waited and waited and waited, growing dimmer and dimmer as the light pollution on Earth became brighter and brighter. It kept looking through all of that light, though, hoping desperately for someone to look back at it, to really, truly see it for once. But no one ever did.

One day Vulpecula was going to fade away completely, and it feared that no one would notice. No one would care. Its existence for eons would be completely meaningless.

It tried talking to some of the other constellations. None of them listened to him.

The only slight comfort Vulpecula had was Earth. Earth, with all its tiny humans, the ones who so lovingly picked out the names for each constellation. Vulpecula liked its name. _Little fox._ So fitting. Much better than Lyra, who was perceived as nothing but a stupid _lyre_ for the entirety of its existence. Vulpecula found that all too amusing. But even that amusement was fleeting and overcome by Vulpecula’s overwhelming sadness.

Vulpecula wondered about Earth. What was it like? What were those tiny humans like? What was all that blue and green like? Whatever it was like down there, it must be much better than life up here in the Celestial Sphere with all the other insufferable constellations.

Vulpecula wished it could be down on Earth and away from here. With all the tiny humans crawling around on that planet, there had to be _someone_ who could see Vulpecula for what it really was.

One day, Vulpecula said that wish out loud, knowing that no one would hear it.

Little did Vulpecula know, someone _did_ hear it. And that wish was granted.

*

Jeongin woke up to a commotion, one that was full of high-pitched whines, all completely foreign to him. He opened his eyes, expecting to see the beautiful, shimmering sky against a navy blue background, but instead he saw something brown and ugly.

Well, ugly compared to his beautiful home. What was all this, now?

As his eyesight adjusted further, he took in some four-legged creatures, running about and tackling each other in a dark, dirty hole. As Jeongin watched, he realized that these four-legged, pointy-eared _things_ were the source of the whining that awoke him. How annoying.

He pushed himself up, intending to walk away to find some peace and quiet, only to topple over as his legs gave out from under him. He hit the dirt with a huff, then scrambled up again, then tried to move forward again, then fell over again. He pushed himself up a little bit to look down in confusion, his eyes widening when he saw that he had _four_ legs instead of two. And they weren’t shaped like hands, but as tiny, black paws. And he was covered in fur, he had ears that _moved_ , and he had—oh no, he had a _tail_. A fluffy, red tail that did absolutely nothing but mortify and hinder him.

What was happening?

Jeongin tried walking again and somewhat got the hang of it. It was enough to put some space in between the other four-legged, pointy-eared _things_ that were still rolling around in the dirt.

He went to the bright light at the mouth of the hole, blinking into the light as his eyes adjusted once again. Beyond the hole, there was more and more brown, but also greens in all kinds of shades. And was that a bit of blue peeking out in between all the green? Jeongin’s little nose twitched, bringing in more scents than he had ever been able to process before. Everything smelled so fresh and foreign to him. Then his pointy ears swiveled towards the world beyond the hole, picking up more high-pitched sounds and distant, quiet roars.

What _was_ this place?

And yet, even as he asked that question, he already knew the answer. There was only one place he had ever viewed that had this much green and blue, a place that he had spent eons gazing down in wonder and hope and longing, always wanting to touch it but never quite knowing how.

This was Earth.

*

Jeongin learned the names to everything on Earth within a few days. He learned that he was called a fox—a kit, to be exact, since he was a very young fox—and that the other four-legged, pointy-eared creatures were also kits, and that the brown and green area around him was called a forest, and that the sounds he heard were birds and the wind.

The concept of wind and air were the most difficult for him to comprehend. It was invisible, it made noise when it moved around, and Jeongin also needed it to breathe, which was a requirement to live. So strange. Breathing was strange. Needing to eat and drink and relieve himself was even stranger. At least the concept of sleeping wasn’t foreign at all to him. He had always been good at sleeping, even when he was up in the sky.

 _The sky_. In the daytime, it was blue with white fluffy things called clouds. Sometimes it turned dark and writhed like it was alive, and the wind would blow and water would fall. Sometimes there were bright flashes followed by deafening booms that shook the entire planet. Thunderstorms, Jeongin learned they were called, with rain, lightning, and thunder. Terrifying.

Sometimes the sky turned red and pink. Sunrise and sunset. Then it would turn dark blue, and then the stars would come out. Jeongin’s home, his family.

He searched for them. Tried to talk to them. Just like before, they never listened to him. Never answered him. Probably never even looked down at him. And if they did, they wrinkled their noses in disgust. _Oh, look at what a pitiful creature he became. How…sad_.

It made his heart ache. The thought made his heart ache. The realization that he had gone from a proud constellation to some tiny, furry animal that crawled around in the dirt made his heart ache. The discovery that he was just as alone down here as he was up there made his heart ache.

All of it together made him cry.

He cried a lot, hoping someone would hear him. For awhile, no one did.

Then one day a voice said, “You cry a lot.”

Jeongin jumped and looked around. It was daytime, when he should have been sleeping. The mother fox and the other kits were already cuddled up in the den, fast asleep. And yet Jeongin had wandered away to sit by himself in a patch of warm sunlight. There were no other animals except for a bird on a branch overhead, but it was too busy chirping its head off to pay attention to Jeongin. Who had spoken, then?

“Hello?” Jeongin asked, still looking around.

“Hi!” the voice said cheerfully. When Jeongin kept looking for the source, the voice laughed and said, “Up here, silly!”

Jeongin looked up, at the bird. “Oh, hello,” he said.

The bird paused from its chirping to give him a weird look, then flew away.

The voice laughed again. “Look up a little more,” it said.

Jeongin tipped his head back to look at the sun, directly above him. He frowned—or tried to, since foxes weren’t the most expressive of creatures—but then the voice said happily, “There you go! Hello there!”

“You’re the sun?” Jeongin asked.

“Yep, just like you’re the constellation Vulpecula,” the sun said. “And now you’re a little fox on Earth. How did that happen?”

“I don’t know,” Jeongin said, blinking. “I just woke up like this.”

“Hmm,” the sun said. “Strange. Very strange. Is that why you cry a lot?”

“No,” Jeongin said. “It’s because I feel so alone. Even down here, no one sees me.”

“Well, I see you,” the sun said.

Jeongin tried to smile, but it was somewhat difficult. He ended up just squinting upwards. “What can I call you, sun?”

“You can call me Jisung,” the sun said.

“Jisung,” Jeongin repeated. “I’m Jeongin.”

“Nice to meet you,” Jisung said.

Jeongin couldn’t smile very well in his fox form, but on the inside, he was grinning from ear-to-ear.

It was Jisung who told him the names of everything. He told him he was a fox, he told him about the forest, and the wind, and the thunderstorms, and the sunsets. But it was Minho who told Jeongin about the other parts of the world.

Jeongin realized quickly that his little family of foxes liked to sleep during the day and were more active at night. Although the brightness of daytime occasionally hurt his eyes, he preferred day over night, since the night reminded him all too much of a life he had lost. He didn’t want to look up and be reminded of how alone he was, especially when Jisung, his only friend, wasn’t up during the night. But, as annoying as it was, he had to hunt to eat. And hunting was best at night, so he had to go out with the rest of his family every now and then. However, they didn’t understand him, and he couldn’t understand _them_ , so he usually went his own, separate way.

One night, the light from the sky was brighter than usual, and Jeongin went to the same patch of ground as when he had met Jisung. A pale beam of light illuminated the ground, and when Jeongin stepped into it, he heard a new voice say, “Hello.”

Jeongin looked right up at where he had first seen Jisung and was surprised to see something soft, pale, and beautiful beaming down at him.

“Hello,” Jeongin said. “Who are you?”

“I’m the moon,” the new voice said. “You can call me Minho, though. That’s what Jisung calls me.”

“You know Jisung?” Jeongin gasped with excitement.

“Yep.” The moon—Minho—sounded amused. “I don’t get to see him that often since he sleeps so much, but sometimes I see him in the day. He’s told me about you.”

“What has he told you?”

“Just that you’re cute and lonely and used to be Vulpecula.”

“I’m still Vulpecula.”

“I’d say you’re even more Vulpecula now than before.” Minho sounded amused. “Now you really are a little fox.”

“I still don’t know how it happened,” Jeongin said, sitting down and letting his tail curl around him and over his paws. He stared down at the dirt floor of the forest. “It’s like I went to sleep and woke up like this.”

“I know what happened,” Minho said.

Jeongin looked up in surprise. “You do?”

“A shooting star passed through. He heard your wish and decided to grant it.”

“My wish,” Jeongin murmured, mostly to himself. He had forgotten he had said that wish out loud. He was so used to going unheard that he barely even processed the things he said to himself and the things he just thought in his head. “I wished I was down here, on Earth. And he heard me.”

“Yes, he did,” Minho said. “Powerful things, shooting stars. So picky, too. They don’t grant just _anyone’s_ wish. You must be special.”

“Or just pitiful,” Jeongin said miserably. “I don’t know what I’m doing down here. And I have no idea how to get back home.”

“Why did you wish to be on Earth if you just wanted to stay at home? I thought you didn’t like your home.”

“I don’t, but…” Jeongin sighed. “Down here isn’t much better. At least home is familiar.”

“Mm,” Minho said. “Well, if it makes you feel any better, you’re not the first.”

Jeongin looked up sharply. “I’m not?”

“Nope.”

“There are others like me? Here? Right now? I’ve never heard of any other constellations being reduced to…this.”

“I’ve been around for a long time,” Minho said. “Eons and eons. I’ve seen many things—”

“You _are_ pretty old,” Jeongin piped up, nodding.

“I am _not_!”

“And cranky.”

“Respect your elders, brat.”

“I’m listening to you, aren’t I? What more respect could you want?”

Minho huffed before scoffing, “Do you want to hear my infinite wisdom or not?”

“Please, oh ancient one, tell me all your wisdom.” Jeongin even made a little show of standing and lowering his head and front legs in some sort of a bow.

“I wish I could smite you right about now,” Minho grumbled. “ _ANYWAYS_ , I’ve heard of this happening before. But that is all I will say on the matter, since you’re being annoying.”

“Oh, come on, I was just teasing.” Jeongin straightened up and sat down again. “Can you please tell me the story of the other constellation?”

There was a pause before Minho gave in and said, “Oh, alright. It’s just because you’re cute and because I’m such a benevolent being.”

Jeongin grinned—he had finally gotten the hang of making his stubborn fox features cooperate with his numerous expressions. Grinning involved pulling back the lips in somewhat of a snarl while letting his jaw hang open just slightly. Apparently it didn’t look as frightening as it once did, since it worked on Minho.

“There was another constellation,” Minho said. “Here they call it the Big Dipper. But you might know it as Ursa Major. The Great Bear.”

Jeongin felt his heart sink. His smile faded. “Everyone loves him. They’re always looking at him and talking to him. He’s as popular as Orion and Cassiopeia.” He sighed. “I always wanted to be like them.”

“He didn’t like all the attention,” Minho said. “He didn’t like everyone always watching his every move. So he left. He became a bear on Earth.”

“And then he went back to the Celestial Sphere? His constellation is still as bright as ever.”

“Yes and no. Sometimes he goes back. But most of his time he spends on Earth, sometimes in the form of a bear, sometimes in the form of a man.”

Jeongin frowned. “He can change forms?”

“As he pleases,” Minho said.

“But…how?”

“No one knows. He’s very elusive. He doesn’t talk to me and Jisung anymore. If you think _I’m_ old, you should talk to _him_! He’s way older than me!”

Jeongin couldn’t help snorting. “I’ll keep that in mind.” He grew thoughtful for a moment, then asked, “How does he keep his constellation so bright? Mine has completely faded from the sky since I came here.”

“He’s just more powerful than you,” Minho said with a twinge of sympathy for the little fox. “He can afford to keep his constellation bright enough as a distraction for the humans while he does what he wants here on Earth.”

“Oh.” Jeongin’s heart sank again. “Maybe that’s how he can change forms, too. He’s powerful enough to do it.”

“You might be, too,” Minho said, trying to lift Jeongin’s spirits. “You’re here as a fox, aren’t you?”

“I suppose,” Jeongin said. “What name does he go by now?”

“Woojin.”

“Woojin,” Jeongin repeated. He smiled. “I’ll have to find him, then! He’s the only one who can help me.”

“Good luck,” Minho said. “I haven’t seen or heard from him in awhile. But Jisung and I will keep an eye out for him.”

“Thank you,” Jeongin said, smiling up at him.

He could have sworn he saw a face appear within the moon just to smile back down at him. “Anything for you, little fox.”

*

There came a day when Jeongin lost his family of foxes.

He had wandered off too far, too curious in exploring the forest, since he was growing bigger and stronger each day and as a result was growing bolder as well. He wandered a bit farther each night, preferring to hunt on his own, but always returned to the fox den with his brothers and sisters and mother. He loved the warmth and sensation of being able to cuddle up with another creature. He had never gotten to do that in the Celestial Sphere. It was always so cold and lonely up there, so when he had first felt it down here, he never wanted to let it go. He never wanted to let go of the feeling of belonging, somewhat.

But one day he wandered too far and got lost. He couldn’t figure his way back to the den, and he couldn’t ask Minho for help since it was one of those nights when Minho wasn’t there, leaving the world completely dark. Jeongin tried following his own scent back, but he was never very good at tracking and lost it. Everything looked the same to him in all directions. No matter which way he went, he could never find the way back to the den.

Jeongin ended up curled up into a tight little ball under a bush, shivering from the lack of heat and whimpering. Once again, he was alone. He couldn’t help thinking that this was what his life was meant to be. To always be so alone and so cold. Would he ever find somewhere warm and safe, where he was wanted and cherished and _seen_? Was that too much to ask?

Apparently it was, because in his eons of existence, he had never once experienced any of that.

When day broke, he crawled out from under the bush and just…walked. He didn’t know where he was going. Where could he go? Where was there a home for him? Jeongin was sure he could walk the entire Earth, then the galaxy, then the universe, and still never find a home.

But he would never know if he didn’t try, so he kept walking. He tried to get Jisung’s attention, but Jisung was occupied with something in another timezone and was too busy to hear Jeongin over the chaos of the rest of the world. Minho wasn’t up yet.

Jeongin was on his own, so he continued on with his walk, unable to keep his head from drooping. His stomach growled. His mouth was parched. He hadn’t hunted last night, and now he would have to wait until the next night to get food easily. He might be able to find a rabbit or some dead animal, but he hated the taste of rotting meat and was never fast enough to catch a rabbit. He would have to find something else.

He walked and walked and walked. He came upon a stream at one point that quenched his thirst. But his hunger was gnawing away at his stomach, weakening his every step. What if he never found food in time? What if he laid down to rest and never woke up? He had never had to think about death before. Death was so far off for a constellation, almost as foreign of a concept as air and wind. But here, for once, it might actually be a very real and very imminent danger.

Jeongin forced himself to walk on instead of resting. He didn’t know how much longer he walked before the _smell_ hit him. He stopped, his nose twitching, his mouth salivating at this new smell, so intoxicating and promising and unlike anything he had ever experienced before. It was somewhat like meat, but not quite. There was a sharper, smokier aspect to it.

Jeongin kept walking, kept sniffing at the air. His stomach growled even louder as the scent grew stronger, and suddenly Jeongin was out of the forest. He didn’t really pay attention to his new surroundings—instead he went right to the source of the smell, identifying it at last.

It was meat, definitely—but put on a stick and held over something orange and hot. Held by a pale hand that Jeongin completely failed to notice. All he could focus on was the meat—the sweet, intoxicating meat—and the warmth radiating from this area and—

“Mom,” a voice said, one that sounded somewhat like Jisung’s and Minho’s but not quite. “Mom, Mom, come quick.”

“What?” another voice said, only for it to gasp a moment later.

The first voice laughed. “I think he’s hungry.”

Jeongin didn’t know what was happening. He was too busy staring at the meat, trying to figure out how to get it. What if he pounced? He had never been very good at pouncing. It was so high up—how could he possibly reach it?

“Don’t you dare feed that thing!” the second voice ordered, sounding almost as shrill as some of the birds Jeongin had heard. “It probably has rabies and the plague and who knows what else!”

“But he’s so skinny, Mom. Look, you can see his ribs—and he’s just a baby!”

Jeongin finally tore his eyes from the meat at the sympathetic tone in the first voice. He blinked as he saw the face of a human looking down at him—the same human that held the meat on the end of the stick over that hot, bright, orange thing.

The human smiled down at him when he saw Jeongin looking up at him. “Hi, there,” the human said in a soothing tone, crouching down so he was eye-level with Jeongin. “Are you hungry? Do you want some of this?” He held up the piece of meat.

“Hyunjin! Do not feed that thing!”

“I’m not, Mom!” the human—Hyunjin—shouted back. Then he promptly pulled the meat off the stick, tore a piece off of it, and tossed it to Jeongin.

Jeongin swallowed it whole and thought he had never tasted something so extravagant in his life. He wanted more. The impulsive, starving side of him wanted to just lunge forward and snatch the rest of the meat from Hyunjin’s fingers. But the more rational side of him told him to sit and wait patiently; if Hyunjin wanted to share the rest, Jeongin would be happy to eat it.

Hyunjin laughed. “Look at you, sitting all pretty. Here.” He tore off another piece and tossed it to Jeongin, who once again swallowed it whole. Hyunjin giggled again before another human approached him and Jeongin.

“Shoo!” Suddenly there was another human heading directly towards Jeongin, waving its arms. The abrupt motion startled Jeongin, and he couldn’t help letting out a yelp as he darted backwards. In his haste to get away, he stepped on his own tail and tripped himself. He thought the human’s foot was going to come down on him and crush him, so he let out another terrified cry before successfully scrambling away. He ran all the way back to the forest, where he darted under another bush and curled into a tight, trembling little ball.

He didn’t come back out for a long time, even as the humans continued to cook more mouth-watering food that made his stomach twist painfully and made him whimper. He waited until their voices faded for good before he ventured out, his nose twitching as he sniffed for any remnants of that delicious food. He didn’t find any, though he did accidentally try to sniff the black circle that held the hot, bright, orange thing and burned his little nose.

“That’s a fire pit,” Minho said above Jeongin, finally back again. “Humans put fire in it to cook food. And yes, fire and hot metal can burn you.”

“Now you tell me,” Jeongin grumbled. He kept his distance from the fire pit thing, though.

There was no food. The humans had eaten it all. Jeongin felt like crying.

“They lock it up in parks like this specifically to keep wildlife from getting into it,” Minho said. “To keep _you_ from getting into it.”

“But why? I’m hungry.”

“Because wild animals can become dependent and demanding of food from humans. They even attack humans when humans don’t give it to them. So the humans take precautions.” Minho paused before saying, “Humans are dangerous, Jeongin. You’re not safe from them here. They can and will hurt you if they get the chance.”

Jeongin didn’t say anything to that, mostly because he spotted a tall, brown structure with sharp corners, completely unlike any of the trees or boulders he had seen in the forest. Without really thinking, he headed towards it.

“And that’s a cabin,” Minho said. “That’s where humans sleep.”

“It’s their home?” Jeongin asked.

“Not this one. This one is just temporary. Humans rotate out of it. Soon these humans will leave and new ones will come in, and then they’ll leave and there’ll be more new ones. It’s an endless cycle. They do it because they like the scenery.”

“Do they keep food in there?”

“Yes, but that’s even more out of reach for you. Best to stay away from it, Jeongin.”

Jeongin should have listened, but his curiosity and desperation got the best of him. He approached the cabin and climbed up the weird, wooden slabs in front of it (“Stairs,” Minho supplied). He went right up to the smooth wall and sniffed along it, hoping that there was some dropped food around here, or even an opening he could squeeze through.

“Um, Jeongin—” Minho started to say when Jeongin’s stupid nose belatedly picked up another scent that he should have noticed first.

Jeongin’s head snapped up, his ears alert. At the other end of the front porch of the cabin, on some sort of swinging platform, sat the kind human from before—Hyunjin. Hyunjin stared at Jeongin, his eyes wide, and Jeongin stared back, suddenly remembering how that other human had chased him away. He tensed, getting ready to run, when Hyunjin smiled.

“Hi again, little guy,” he said. “Still looking for food?”

“By the way, humans can’t understand you,” Minho piped up from above.

“But I can understand him?” Jeongin asked, his eyes still on Hyunjin.

“It’s a strange loophole,” Minho replied.

Jeongin blinked at Hyunjin, who leaned down again so he was eye-level with Jeongin. He didn’t _seem_ dangerous. He seemed kind. And warm. And that was before he held out a bag of more intoxicating food.

Jeongin forgot about being cautious and lunged forward. Hyunjin jerked back and dropped the bag, but Jeongin wasn’t interested in him at the moment. He was interested in eating the sweet-smelling meat inside this tiny bag. It was chewy, much chewier and harder than the food he had eaten in the past, but it was so delicious. Jeongin gobbled up as many pieces as he could.

When he was finished, he looked up at Hyunjin hopefully.

Hyunjin let out a laugh. “Are you begging?” he asked with a smile. “You’re totally begging—giving me the puppy-dog eyes and everything. You’re so cute.”

If Jeongin could blush, he would.

Hyunjin grinned before leaning forward again, resting his forearms on his knees. He was less than a foot away from Jeongin. For a moment, they studied each other, during which Jeongin was more or less just sniffing the air for scents of more food. When his eyes went back to Hyunjin’s, though, he froze. The way Hyunjin was looking at him so intently made him pause. Was Hyunjin really, truly seeing him?

The thought lifted Jeongin’s little heart, but a moment later, it sank again.

Hyunjin wasn’t _seeing_ him. Hyunjin was just looking at him. All he saw was a fox. Nothing else. And he would never be able to see anything else, either.

Jeongin lowered his head and backed away.

“You’re awfully brave,” Hyunjin said at last. Jeongin focused on nosing the empty bag instead of looking up at him. “I wonder if other people have fed you before, and that’s why you’re so skinny now. You don’t know how to hunt on your own, do you?”

Jeongin didn’t respond.

“Poor thing,” Hyunjin said softly.

Jeongin looked up at him. Hyunjin looked so sad. For Jeongin? But why? Hyunjin didn’t know Jeongin at all.

“I don’t know much about foxes, but you look really young to be by yourself,” Hyunjin said. “Where’s your mommy? Hmm? Is she out hunting?”

Jeongin lowered his head again, his heart and his tail sinking at the reminder of how alone he was.

“Oh, no, you don’t have one? Is she gone?” Hyunjin somehow looked even sadder. “You’re all alone, then. You can’t possibly survive by yourself.”

There were tears in Hyunjin’s eyes now. Jeongin had never seen anyone else cry for him before. This was so strange to him. So strange that he ventured closer, just to really see if Hyunjin was tearing up for _him_ or for something else.

“See, you don’t look so diseased,” Hyunjin said, giving a small smile as he wiped at his eyes and sniffed. “My dad said you’re diseased, and that’s why you’re so comfortable around humans. But I don’t think you look sick. Your eyes look so clear.”

Jeongin blinked. Hyunjin smiled.

“Clear enough to make me think you know what I’m saying,” Hyunjin said.

Jeongin decided to look away. He looked back down on the bag and pawed at it, whining in hopes that Hyunjin would understand.

Hyunjin snorted. “I don’t have any more beef jerky,” he said. “You ate it all.”

Jeongin sighed in disappointment at that.

“But I can give you more tomorrow,” Hyunjin said, lowering his voice almost conspiratorially. “How does that sound? And I’ll make sure my parents don’t see.”

Jeongin perked up and nodded. Hyunjin smiled again.

“Good,” he said, standing. “See you tomorrow then, little fox. I should go to sleep. Bye, bye.”

Jeongin watched as Hyunjin picked up the empty bag and went into the cabin. Jeongin almost tried to follow him, but Hyunjin shut the panel in the wall behind him before Jeongin could slip past. Jeongin had nothing else to do but go back to the forest for the night.

“That human doesn’t sound so dangerous,” Jeongin told Minho as he settled down under the same bush. “He seems nice.”

“Just be careful,” is all Minho said.

*

The following day, Jeongin made sure to avoid the other two humans as they ran about, talking and bickering with each other as they packed things in this strange metal contraption—called a car, apparently. It could take humans much farther much faster. Jeongin thought it looked fun to ride in.

Hyunjin stood off to the side, scanning the area, his eyes narrowed against the sunlight. When he saw Jeongin approach the cabin, he smiled and put a finger to his lips. Then he set a bag of meats down on the ground—hotdogs, Jeongin learned. They were cold but still smelled and tasted delicious. He decided to take his time in savoring them.

“That’s all I have,” Hyunjin said quietly. “You’re on your own for now, foxy. Sorry.”

Jeongin didn’t understand—was Hyunjin leaving? Already? What would Jeongin do for food if Hyunjin wasn’t here?

He looked back down at the hotdogs and ate the last one. He didn’t even notice that Hyunjin had walked away until it was too late. He looked up, and Hyunjin was gone.

Jeongin’s heart sank again. The other humans had gone into the cabin, but the car was still open, in the process of being packed. Jeongin wandered over to it, trying to peek into it. Maybe there was food in there he could steal so he would have _something_ while he figured out a new plan.

He hopped up into the back of the car, sniffing each little box and bag. There _was_ food in the boxes! Jeongin crawled up and into a box, his heart now lifting happily as he figured out which bag to chew open and take with him. It required him to dig a little bit deeper into the box.

The sound of footsteps and voices reached his ears, and then there was a loud _boom_ that made Jeongin jump. He peeked out of the box, seeing that the way he had come into the car was now blocked by a wall of its own. He wasn’t sure if he should be worried or not. Surely there was another way out, and he would find it as soon as he figured out what food to steal.

As he went back to digging through the food, there were more footsteps and more slams, along with a quiet roar from the front of the car and a jolt. Jeongin paid it all little attention. He was too focused on the food. He didn’t even hear Jisung calling for him outside the car. The walls of the car and the noises within the car muffled Jisung’s voice.

Jeongin found two bags of food that he could take with him. But since he was already hungry, he decided that he could eat one now. He ate and ate until his little stomach was full, then felt overcome with drowsiness. There was a subtle rocking motion within the car itself, along with the white noise droning from the front. It was cozy and warm here. Jeongin figured he could take a short nap. Once he was rested, he could make a quick escape.

Not one to argue with himself, he curled up in the corner of the box and fell asleep.

*

Hyunjin used to love camping. He used to love long car rides. But now, he couldn’t wait until he got home. He couldn’t wait to get away from his parents.

He barely talked to them on the ride home. Instead, he popped his earbuds in and dozed off, fully intending to only wake up once the car was back in front of his apartment. It happened quickly enough, and finally the car slowed to a stop, this awful trip coming to an end.

“Want help getting your things out?” his dad asked from the front seat.

“No, that’s okay, I’ve got it, Dad,” Hyunjin said, grabbing his backpack and fumbling with the car door.

“It’s the least I can do,” his dad said. He was already getting out and walking around to the back of the car before Hyunjin could protest.

“Take some food, too,” his mom added.

Hyunjin rolled his eyes and got out. He walked around to the back of the car, where his dad was already lifting out Hyunjin’s duffel bag and pillow.

“Here, just take the whole box,” his dad said, pulling out the cardboard box full of snack foods.

Hyunjin had no choice but to take the box that was shoved into his arms. “Thanks, Dad.”

“I’ll help you bring your stuff up,” his dad said, reaching for the duffel bag and pillow.

“No, it’s okay.” Hyunjin put the pillow on top of the box and slung the duffel bag over his shoulder. He flashed his dad a quick smile. “I’ve got it.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah, I’m all balanced.”

“Alright…” His dad still looked skeptical.

“Call us if you need us!” his mom said, rolling down the window as Hyunjin walked towards the front door of his apartment building. “Don’t be a stranger!”

“Okay, Mom,” Hyunjin said. “Bye. Love you.”

He ducked into his apartment building without another word. Once he was in the elevator, he let out a breath and sagged against the wall, exhaustion weighing down on him. Sometimes putting up a front took too much work, especially when it was around his parents for days on end.

It took a bit of fumbling to get his keys out once he was at his apartment door, and he nearly dropped the box of food, but somehow he managed. He kicked open the door to his dark, empty apartment, lost his balance from the kick, and promptly dropped everything onto the floor.

Hyunjin opened his mouth to curse, but he stopped when he swore he heard a yelp from the cardboard box. He listened for a moment, then shook his head when there was nothing but silence. He was hearing things, clearly.

He picked up his duffel bag and pillow and put them in his bedroom. When he came back to get the box, he was surprised to see it tipped over onto its side, its contents spilled out everywhere.

Hyunjin frowned at that and went to pick it all up. As he crouched down, though, he found a pair of wide eyes looking at him from under the coffee table.

Hyunjin let out a yell in surprise and fell backwards. The eyes flashed with fear and disappeared under the couch instead. This time, Hyunjin saw the body the eyes belonged to. It was red, white, and black, with pointy ears and a fluffy tail.

Hyunjin stayed where he was for several moments, still trying to comprehend what he had just seen. He shook his head to clear it, then crawled forward to look under the couch.

There, curled up and trembling, was the baby fox he had seen at the campsite.

“Little fox?” Hyunjin said, mostly in disbelief. “What are you doing here?”

The fox just whimpered and curled into itself tighter.

Hyunjin frowned and sat up so he could look at the box and its spilled contents. He looked back at the couch. “Did you hide in that box? Still looking for food, huh?”

Of course the fox didn’t respond, but Hyunjin peeked under the couch again.

“You can come out,” he said in the most soothing voice he could muster. “Come on, it’s okay. I have food for you.”

He held out his hand, palm up, to show that he meant no harm. The fox eyed it suspiciously for a few moments before crawling forward enough to sniff Hyunjin’s fingers. Hyunjin couldn’t help grinning.

“I don’t have food in my hand right _now,_ though,” Hyunjin said. “You have to come out to get it.”

He withdrew his hand, and the fox gave a little huff. Then it crawled out from under the couch and looked up at Hyunjin.

Hyunjin had seen the baby fox up close before, but the fox was practically in his lap. It was an entirely different perspective. Its eyes were so _big_ and sparkly and curious and its fur was so vibrant and soft and smooth. Hyunjin suddenly wanted nothing more than to just pet the cute thing, but he had to remember that this was still a wild animal that could have any kind of disease _and_ be aggressive, potentially.

Though with those big eyes, Hyunjin doubted this fox had an aggressive bone in its little body.

“Hi,” Hyunjin said, unable to keep himself from grinning down at the fox. “Again.”

The fox just blinked up at him.

“So you followed me home, huh? Wanted food that badly?”

The fox lowered its head almost in shame.

Hyunjin couldn’t keep himself from cooing. “Come on, I’m sure I have some hotdogs here.” He stood, and the fox happily trotted after him into the kitchen.

The fox ended up eating all of Hyunjin’s leftover hotdogs, turkey, and ground beef. Then it promptly fell into a little food coma by its plate on the kitchen floor. Once again, Hyunjin couldn’t help cooing at the sight. The longer he watched the little fox sleep, though, the more he realized the gravity of the situation.

This was a wild animal. A _baby_ wild animal. Could it go back to the wild now? Or would it die because it was so used to humans giving it food? If it couldn’t go back to the wild, then where would it go? To a sanctuary? Or could…could Hyunjin keep it as a pet? He knew his apartment allowed cats and small dogs, so surely a fox would be in the same area…besides, this fox had been nothing but sweet. It hadn’t even reacted aggressively when Hyunjin’s dad chased it off around the campfire. It had just looked so sad and lonely…or maybe Hyunjin was just choosing to see himself in the tiny creature.

Hyunjin shook his head and rubbed his eyes. He couldn’t think about all this right now. He was too exhausted. The first thing he needed to do was take this little fox to the vet in the morning—hopefully they would be able to tell him if this fox really was diseased or not. And then maybe they could tell him what to do with it.

Since Hyunjin wasn’t entirely comfortable leaving the fox sleeping in the kitchen by itself, he gently scooped it up (and briefly marveled at how soft its fur really, truly was), then brought it to the bathroom. He put it in the tub with a couple of old towels and a bowl of water. Then he picked up all of the rugs off the floor and covered them with old towels as well, just in case the fox woke up and decided to go exploring or decided to relieve itself somewhere other than the tub. After all this, he locked the door.

As he fell face-first onto the bed, he couldn’t help thinking that maybe, just maybe, he had found something to make his life worth living after all.

*

Jeongin woke up in a cold, white area, one completely unlike anything he had ever seen. He sat up and looked around, noticing the bowl of water and some soft, fluffy stuff laid down underneath him. Hyunjin must have moved him. Was Jeongin supposed to stay here? For how long? Surely Hyunjin would understand if Jeongin went exploring, right? Besides, he was already hungry again.

The sun was shining through the window at the very top of the wall, telling Jeongin that it was morning. He tried talking to Jisung, asking him where he was and what had happened, but Jisung didn’t answer. Jeongin didn’t think he could hear him. He would have to go outside to get Jisung’s attention.

It took three tries before Jeongin successfully clambered out of the white, cold, _slick_ area. It was just so difficult for his paws to find purchase on the slippery surface. He tumbled over the edge and onto the floor, covered with more soft stuff that led him to the door. He sat down and tried to think of how to get through it. He sniffed around the area and tried digging through the floor and tried scratching at the wood, all to no avail. Eventually he just let out a frustrated yip that seemed much louder in this space than anywhere else. His voice echoed back at him, making his eyes go wide. It didn’t stop him from barking again, though. And again, and again, until—

The door opened, causing Jeongin to jump backwards to avoid being hit. Then he looked up at the human standing in the doorway.

“Stop barking, you’re going to get me in trouble,” Hyunjin said, his face puffy and splotchy, his hair all messed up. “What do you want? Are you hungry?”

Jeongin decided wagging his tail was the best bet, making Hyunjin roll his eyes.

“Come on.” Hyunjin opened the door wide enough for Jeongin to follow him out of the room, down a slippery path, and back to the area where Hyunjin had given him such delicious food last night. Jeongin went right over to the plate that was left for him, thinking that food would just appear on it like it had last night, but instead Hyunjin picked it up.

“I have no idea what foxes eat and if this is even healthy for you,” Hyunjin said, putting more slices of meat onto the plate before setting it down on the floor for Jeongin. “But I’ll find out soon enough.”

Jeongin didn’t care what that meant; he was just content with gobbling up all the food.

Hyunjin ended up locking him in that echoey room again, though Jeongin wasn’t allowed back in the slippery white area.

“Stay,” Hyunjin told Jeongin as he turned a nob on the wall. Jeongin stared in fascination as water began to fall, like rain. But he didn’t get to look for long, because Hyunjin pulled a curtain and blocked his view. Then he stepped out of his clothes and stepped under the water.

Jeongin did not, in fact, _stay_ and instead approached the white area. Hyunjin let out a yelp of surprise when Jeongin stuck his head past the curtain, just to get a better look at the rainstorm.

“No, fox, out, out, out,” Hyunjin said, shooing him away. “You’ll get a bath later!”

Jeongin just huffed at that before retreating to wait patiently for Hyunjin to stop hogging the rain so Jeongin could experience it. Unfortunately Hyunjin made the rain disappear before he stepped out of the white slippery area ( _without_ slipping—how did he do that?).

“Hey, don’t look at me like that, that’s weird,” Hyunjin said, gesturing for Jeongin to look the other way. “You’re only in here with me because I don’t trust you to run around the apartment by yourself.”

Jeongin wanted to tell him that he would be perfectly fine exploring the rest of the area, but apparently Hyunjin disagreed. He still stared at Hyunjin as Hyunjin pulled on his clothes, though, mostly out of curiosity than anything. Humans had the same anatomy and shape as those who lived in the Celestial Sphere. Though, most of those in the Celestial Sphere preferred to take on disembodied forms of light. It was more liberating that way, for some. Jeongin thought being in the form of a man and a light form were both better than being a fox.

“Alright, I’m going to put you in this box,” Hyunjin said after the rainstorm and after he was dressed. He pointed to the box Jeongin had fallen asleep in, now emptied of all food. A disappointment. “It’s got towels to make it all comfy, okay? You’ll be perfectly safe, I promise. I just…gotta pick you up.”

Jeongin wasn’t prepared for Hyunjin to reach for him. It made him nervous and jerk backwards, out of reach.

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Hyunjin said.

Jeongin went as stiff as possible, even whimpering when Hyunjin wrapped his hands around his torso and lifted him up. Hyunjin set him down in the box, and Jeongin immediately tried to climb out.

“No, stay,” Hyunjin said. “Stay in the box.”

“But why, though?” Jeongin asked. “Are you taking me back to the forest? Where are we going?”

 _He can’t understand you_ , Minho’s voice reminded in the back of Jeongin’s mind. For all Jeongin knew, Hyunjin was only hearing a series of yips and whimpers from Jeongin.

“It’s okay,” Hyunjin said in a soothing tone. “Stay there.”

Jeongin didn’t try to jump out, but he lost his balance and fell over when Hyunjin picked up the box. When Jeongin tried to stand again, he found his legs too wobbly from the box moving underneath him, so he ended up just curling up into a tight little ball in the corner. He squeezed his eyes shut and just hoped this would be over soon.

Hyunjin reached down a couple times to adjust the towels around Jeongin, protecting him from the cacophony outside of the box. It was so _loud_ ; so full of strange sounds that didn’t seem anything like the forest. Jeongin flattened his ears against his head in an attempt to block them out.

They travelled for what felt like forever, and then the sounds faded behind them, replaced by other, muted sounds, as well as a bunch of strange smells. Jeongin couldn’t help lifting his head and peeking out of the box, immediately seeing more bright white and slippery surfaces covering the entire area. The smells, however, reminded him of the fox den, but not quite. Jeongin sniffed the air and decided that there were more animals here. Many more.

“Hello,” Hyunjin said, making Jeongin look up at him. He wasn’t talking to him but to another human. “I don’t have an appointment, but long story short, this little guy snuck into my camping gear and I didn’t even notice until I brought him all the way home.” He set the box down, and there was a series of high-pitched cooing from what sounded like female humans. “I don’t know what to do with him, so I was hoping you could help?”

“Oh my god, he’s so cute!” one female human said, turning Jeongin’s attention towards her. There were two other humans grinning down at him, one even reaching out to scratch under Jeongin’s chin. It was a weird sensation that Jeongin wasn’t entirely opposed to, but he still leaned away.

“He’s so little!” the second female human said.

“Yeah, I don’t think he has a mother,” Hyunjin said. “Do you guys even treat foxes?”

“We’ve seen a couple foxes, yeah,” the first female human said. “Usually people bring them in after they hit them with their cars, unfortunately.”

Jeongin imagined getting hit by that massive, metal contraption and visibly shuddered. If he thought a human could hurt him, a car would surely crush him.

“We’ve even see some coyotes,” the second female human added. “Dr. Bang handles these kinds of things, though. He’s finishing up with a couple other appointments, but he’ll be done soon and we can fit you into his schedule. Here’s some paperwork you need to fill out first.”

“Great, I’ll just take a seat and fill these out, then,” Hyunjin said.

“He’s so well behaved, look at him,” the second female cooed at Jeongin before Hyunjin picked up the box and carried it elsewhere.

Once the box was set down, with Hyunjin sitting next to it, Jeongin decided he had had enough of being in it, so he tried to jump out. He put his paws on the edge, preparing to launch himself over the edge and into Hyunjin’s lap, but Hyunjin caught him. He gently pushed Jeongin’s paws off the edge and nudged him back into the box.

“Stay, stay,” Hyunjin said. “I’ll let you out in a bit, okay? But you have to stay in there. It’s safer in the box.”

“Safer?” Jeongin repeated.

Hyunjin just hummed and, once he was sure that Jeongin wasn’t going to jump out, went back to whatever boring human task he was doing.

Jeongin turned to the rest of the area, looking for something to cure him of his boredom. He watched as other dogs of all shapes and sizes walked by—most of them barking and trying to lunge at Jeongin the moment they saw him. He jerked backwards and hid in the box, where Hyunjin always reached down and ran a hand along Jeongin’s spine comfortingly. Jeongin stopped peeking out of the box after that.

Finally, though, a voice called for Hyunjin, and Hyunjin quickly picked up the box and carried it a short distance.

“Hi, are you Hyunjin?” a male human voice asked. “I’m Dr. Bang.”

“H-hi,” Hyunjin said. He sounded a little different—almost breathless and shaky and like he was in awe. Jeongin frowned at the wide-eyed look Hyunjin had on his face. Was he nervous? Afraid? What was going on?

Hyunjin quickly cleared his throat and told the other male in a somewhat more normal voice, “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too,” said the other male. Dr. Bang, he said his name was. He smiled at Hyunjin before looking down at Jeongin. “And who do we have here? A kit? How’d you end up here, little guy?”

“He, uh, snuck home with me while camping,” Hyunjin said. “I don’t know what to do with him, so I came here.”

“Well, we can certainly help you out,” Dr. Bang said. “Follow me.”

Hyunjin carried the box into another room, where the door shut behind them. Then Hyunjin stepped off to the side as Dr. Bang picked Jeongin up and out of the box and onto a cold, hard slab in the middle of the room. Jeongin went rigid, his eyes immediately going to Hyunjin. He didn’t like the looks of this room. Too white. Too clean. Too empty. It—and Dr. Bang—smelled like so many other animals. What were they going to do to him here? Kill him? Hurt him? How could Hyunjin do such a thing?

Jeongin started shaking despite his best intentions, and Dr. Bang made a sympathetic sound.

“Aw, it’s okay,” he said in a soothing tone. “We’re not gonna hurt ya. Just gonna look you over and make sure you’re healthy, okay?”

Jeongin didn’t believe him, especially when Dr. Bang pressed this cold circle to Jeongin’s chest and pried open his mouth and shined a light in his eyes and studied his ears and even stuck some sort of cold rod in a very uncomfortable place.

“He looks scandalized,” Hyunjin remarked.

“Yeah, best way to get temperatures, unfortunately.” Dr. Bang stepped back, but not before patting Jeongin on the head. “He looks and sounds perfectly healthy, so no visible signs of any disease. We’ll have to do bloodwork and double-check, though. Just to be certain.”

“How long will that take?”

“Just a couple minutes. I’ll have to take him into the back. You’re welcome to wait here.”

That did not sound good. Jeongin started shaking again, especially when he realized that he was going with this strange man. Dr. Bang seemed nice enough from the way he smiled and from how gentle his touches were, but Jeongin didn’t trust that for a minute. He looked at Hyunjin pleadingly.

“Okay,” Hyunjin said. He looked at Jeongin. “It’s okay, he’s just running some tests.”

Jeongin considered running, but there was no where _to_ run. So he had no choice but to go with Dr. Bang.

He blocked out the next few moments in his memory. They poked at him and studied him and shined a light in his eyes and essentially picked him apart. Finally, though, they brought him back to the room where Hyunjin was waiting.

Jeongin ran right up to Hyunjin and leapt into his lap, where he curled up into a tight little ball and didn’t move.

Hyunjin let out a surprised laugh. “When he acts like this, it makes me think he was some sort of pet,” he said to Dr. Bang, stroking Jeongin’s back.

“That’s a possibility,” Dr. Bang said. “He’s completely healthy. All our tests came back negative.”

“Did you hear that, little fox?” Hyunjin said to Jeongin. “You’re not diseased! Yay!”

Dr. Bang snorted, and Jeongin could hear the smile in his voice as he said, “He’s too old to go back to any kind of mother fox, and he might not ever readjust to the wild again. Your best bet is to either send him to a sanctuary or a zoo. They’ll take care of him there, maybe introduce him to some other foxes in a similar situation. But…if they’re full, unfortunately there aren’t many options. He might have to be euthanized.”

Jeongin had no idea what that meant, but he didn’t have a good feeling about it at all.

“Oh,” Hyunjin said, sounding disappointed. He continued to pet Jeongin. “I can’t…keep him? Is that illegal?”

“You could, but you’d have to get him registered and everything,” Dr. Bang said. “And no, it’s not illegal here. Anymore.” There was that smile again.

“I’ve had dogs before, shouldn’t be too difficult. Right, foxy?”

Hyunjin better come up with a better name than “foxy” if Jeongin was going to stay. He stopped paying attention to the rest of the conversation, suddenly too exhausted from all of the activity. His eyelids grew heavy. Hyunjin was so warm and his touch was so soft and light—

Jeongin awoke when Hyunjin moved and picked him up, causing Jeongin to let out a whine in protest at being disturbed. But then Hyunjin held him in his arms instead, which was even better than being curled up in his lap. Jeongin discovered that he could easily burrow his face into the crook of Hyunjin’s neck. It was even more warm and soft than his lap—plus Hyunjin pulled his jacket around him, further protecting him from the cold breeze and the loud noises of the city as they headed home. Jeongin didn’t fall asleep, but he was perfectly content to just dozing like this.

Perhaps being a fox for awhile wouldn’t be so bad.

*

Jeongin spoke too soon.

First of all, he had to take a _bath._ He had never had to take a bath before, since those in the Celestial Sphere never got dirty like those on Earth did, but he had stood out in the rain in the forest before. That was enjoyable enough. He thought this bath in the controlled rainstorm back at the apartment might be nice as well.

Yeah, _no_. Jeongin didn’t get to stand in the rainstorm. Instead, Hyunjin just poured buckets of water on him to the point where Jeongin felt like a shivering, scrawny, drowned _mess_. Completely undignified. And then Hyunjin scrubbed this strange-smelling white stuff on Jeongin that made his skin itch, and then poured _more_ water on Jeongin to wash out the white stuff. The moment Hyunjin turned away, though, Jeongin got his satisfaction by shaking all of the water and white stuff, splattering the whole area and making Hyunjin yell and complain.

At least after the bath wasn’t so bad. The towels Hyunjin wrapped him up in were fluffy and warm. And Hyunjin held him close as he rubbed the water from his fur.

The rest of the day was spent exploring the apartment. It was small, with only two rooms, one being the place where Hyunjin slept, and the other being split between the place where they ate and the place where they sat down on these giant, fluffy cushions. Hyunjin called them _couches_. Jeongin initially wasn’t allowed on the couch, but when Hyunjin kept sitting there and Jeongin kept jumping to sit next to him, Hyunjin gave up telling Jeongin to get off. It was much better being able to sit next to Hyunjin on this fluffy couch. Jeongin liked being able to sit on his lap or curl up into his side. Judging by the way Hyunjin giggled and pet him whenever Jeongin did that, Hyunjin liked it too.

The area with the controlled rainstorm was called the bathroom, with the shower and tub, and then the area where Hyunjin slept was called the bedroom, with another giant, fluffy square thing called a bed. During the first night, Jeongin had to sleep in the bathroom. But sleeping alone stressed him out—what if Hyunjin decided to leave him behind? What if he never came back for Jeongin? How would Jeongin get out of this room? Not to mention how the floor was cold and the room too big and echoey. Jeongin hated it.

So he cried. He cried and cried and hoped that Hyunjin would hear him and come get him.

It took awhile, but Hyunjin finally relented and let Jeongin sleep with him on the bed. The bed was _much_ better than the bathroom—it had soft sheets that Jeongin could burrow into, plus Hyunjin was right there with him. Sleeping next to Hyunjin quickly became Jeongin’s favorite thing, since Hyunjin was so warm and cuddly and made Jeongin feel safe and wanted, especially when Hyunjin put an arm around Jeongin to hug him close. Jeongin couldn’t help thinking that this was just temporary, that soon Hyunjin would decide he didn’t want Jeongin after all and that he would abandon him. Jeongin would once again be cold and alone. Those thoughts made him whimper and press into Hyunjin as much as possible, trying to make the most of this situation while he could.

But, Jeongin daresay, it looked like Hyunjin wasn’t planning on abandoning Jeongin anytime soon. Hyunjin bought him food—a variety of berries, insects, dry kibble from a bag, and some vegetables, all of which Jeongin found strangely delicious—bought him a tiny dog bed that Jeongin rarely used, since he rather sleep on the couch or bed, some chew toys to keep him occupied when Hyunjin was gone in the day, and even a matching collar and leash set.

When Hyunjin sat down on the floor to show Jeongin everything he had bought, Jeongin took one look at the collar and leash and said, “No.”

“Oh, come on, it’s not that bad,” Hyunjin said, hearing Jeongin’s whine. “I can’t take you outside unless you wear a leash. It’s to keep you from running off. Plus the city requires all pets to be leashed outside at all times, so…”

“I won’t run off,” Jeongin said, but of course it just came out as a nervous yip.

Hyunjin must have taken that as a _yes_ , since he reached out and clasped the collar around Jeongin’s neck. Jeongin went completely rigid, pleadingly looking at Hyunjin to take it off.

“Awww, you look so handsome,” Hyunjin said, grinning from ear-to-ear. “I thought sky blue would look good, and it does! You look so pretty, Baby.”

Jeongin blinked, and Hyunjin reached forward to play with the dog tag on the collar.

“See?” Hyunjin said. “It says ‘Baby.’ That’s your name, now. And it has my address on it to let people know where your home is.”

Jeongin just stared at him. There was a roar in his ears and a steady warmth building up in his chest, rendering him immovable and unresponsive. All he could focus on were those words— _your home_. Jeongin’s home. After so long, he had a home and a family. He even had a _name_ , even though he didn’t like it very much.

That day, Jeongin stopped worrying about when Hyunjin would abandon him. He stopped worrying about when he would be cold and alone again.

He didn’t need to worry anymore, because he was home.

He was finally home.

*

“Oh, look, he’s alive!” Minho scoffed. “Not that we would know, since he doesn’t _listen_ to us!”

“Ignore him,” Jisung said. “He’s just a bitter old man.”

“Fight me, sunshine,” Minho shot back.

“You two haven’t changed a bit,” Jeongin said in amusement.

“Of course we haven’t, we’ve been the exact same for millions of years,” Minho retorted.

Hyunjin’s apartment had a balcony, upon which Jeongin loved to doze in the sun for hours and hours and watch the people and dogs and cats and cars go by on the street down below. Hyunjin had only recently started trusting Jeongin with sleeping out on the balcony, since he had been worried that Jeongin would slip through the bars and fall to his death or something. But Jeongin showed him that he was only interested in sitting and watching the world, something he had done for millions of years. Now Hyunjin even trusted him enough to sleep on the balcony while he was gone during the day.

“I tried to warn you,” Jisung said to Jeongin. “I tried to tell you that that car was bad! But you didn’t hear me. I’ve been trying to talk to you for the past _month_!”

“I’m sorry,” Jeongin said. “I can’t hear you when I’m indoors. You don’t have to worry anymore, though—I’m safe and happy here. I like Hyunjin a lot, and he likes me too!”

“Don’t let your guard down,” Minho said. “Humans always end up hurting each other and other creatures. Doesn’t matter how much they claim to love you—it’s inevitable.”

“Minho,” Jisung hissed. “That’s not nice.”

“It’s the truth,” Minho argued.

“It’s cynical!”

“Well, it may come as a surprise, Mr. Sunshine Boy, but I happen to have a dark side.”

Jeongin snorted at that, content with resting his head on his paws as the two of them bickered back and forth. When their arguing grew redundant and annoying, though, he interrupted by saying, “I miss Hyunjin.”

“He’s only been gone for like two hours,” Minho retorted.

“But I miss him,” Jeongin said. “He’s always so sad and tired when he comes home. Something’s weighing him down.”

“He’s a college student _and_ has a job,” Jisung said. “That’s why.”

“Busy, busy,” Minho said. “Not to mention how that job is terrible for him.”

“What job?” Jeongin asked.

“A modeling thing. With a face like that, it’s like the only thing he’s good at.”

“That’s not true,” Jeongin said. “He’s good at lots of things. Like singing and dancing and cuddling.”

“And crying,” Minho said. “He cries a lot. Usually because of the stress from school and his job.”

“Okay, Mr. Dark Side,” Jisung said. To Jeongin, he said, “He just likes showing off how _observant_ he is.”

“I do not _show off_ ,” Minho retorted.

“Do too.”

“Do not.”

“Do too!”

“Do _not_!”

Jeongin once again tuned them out, his mind already drifting towards Hyunjin again. Most of his time and energy these days resolved entirely around Hyunjin. How could it not, when just the mere thought of Hyunjin made him happy?

Now, though, as he thought of Hyunjin, his heart sank. Was Hyunjin unhappy? He did tend to cry a bit when he came home, but it was just a few tears and sniffles here and there. And he did tend to hold onto Jeongin for longer when he was close to tears. And it always took a bit to get him to smile.

Oh no, what if Hyunjin really _was_ unhappy? Jeongin had been caught up in his own happiness that he never even considered that Hyunjin might feel the same. And if Hyunjin wasn’t happy, how could Jeongin be happy? What if Hyunjin decided he would be happier off without Jeongin and got rid of him?

It always circled back to that. Jeongin’s worst fear. He had to make sure Hyunjin was happy so Hyunjin would never even think about giving him up.

Jeongin was an anxious, worried mess for the rest of the day. He kept pacing and whining despite himself, resisting the urge to chew on something. He knew there were animalistic tendencies lurking in the back of his mind, growing stronger the longer he stayed in this body. They were always urging him to chew on things, pounce on anything that moved, relieve himself wherever and whenever he pleased, and—in the worst cases—snarl or snap at Hyunjin for touching him. Jeongin vowed never to do any of those things, so he kept those wild urges firmly in-check. He may be in an animal’s body, but he was never going to stoop to the level of one.

When Hyunjin finally stepped through the door, Jeongin immediately ran forward and weaved himself in between his legs. Hyunjin laughed in surprise and said, “Oh, hi, Baby, what’s gotten you so excited, huh? Are you hungry? Or do you just have to go out?”

Jeongin responded by rubbing up on Hyunjin’s leg one last time before sitting down in front of him and giving him the biggest puppy-dog eyes he could manage.

Hyunjin laughed again and crouched down to pet him. Jeongin immediately leaned into the touch and licked his face, mostly to make sure Hyunjin hadn’t been crying again. Luckily, Hyunjin’s face didn’t taste salty. Maybe he was in a good mood.

“Why are you so happy, huh?” Hyunjin grinned from ear-to-ear. “You didn’t eat something you shouldn’t have, did you?”

Jeongin shook his head, trying his best to look as innocent as possible.

Hyunjin looked skeptical for a few moments without much seriousness to it before he broke into a grin again. “Okay, I trust you. But come on, let’s get some food and then go for a walk, yeah?”

Jeongin wanted nothing more than to do just that, since it meant spending time with Hyunjin. They ate dinner together, then went out for a walk together. Despite how much Jeongin hated the leash and the collar, he put up with them for thirty minutes and stayed right by Hyunjin’s side. Sometimes he cowered behind Hyunjin when other dogs passed by and growled at him, but most of the time he walked right next to him, a spring in his step. It was so pleasant out that night, too, that Jeongin enjoyed it even more.

When they went to sleep that night, with Jeongin curled up comfortably on the pillow next to Hyunjin, he decided that Minho had been wrong and that Hyunjin wasn’t unhappy at all. Those worries finally dissipated, and Jeongin slipped into a peaceful sleep.

A few nights later, those worries resurfaced.

Jeongin sensed it the moment Hyunjin stepped through the door—something was wrong. Hyunjin still smiled and greeted Jeongin with as much enthusiasm as he always did, but Jeongin could see something in Hyunjin’s eyes. It made Jeongin tilt his head to the side to give Hyunjin a concerned look, which Hyunjin ignored.

“Hey, let’s get some food, okay?” Hyunjin turned away and focused on fixing them both dinner. But whenever he wasn’t doing anything, he just zoned out, always looking like he was on the verge of tears. Even when they were going on their walk, he just stared down at the ground, his mind elsewhere.

Jeongin didn’t know what to do to cheer him up. He tried nosing Hyunjin’s hand and giving him an affectionate lick here and there, even tried licking at his face when Hyunjin was down at his level, but the most he got out of Hyunjin was a small laugh and a flash of a smile before his face fell again. Jeongin was running out of ideas.

After the walk, Hyunjin got ready for bed, despite how early it was. Jeongin watched from the doorway of the bathroom as Hyunjin zoned out while brushing his teeth. When Hyunjin looked at himself in the mirror, though, he froze. He stared at himself for several moments, his face somehow growing impossibly sadder before twisting in a disgusted grimace. He squeezed his eyes shut and quickly finished up, never once looking at himself in the mirror again.

They went to bed earlier than usual that night. Hyunjin curled up on his side, facing the edge of the bed and not the center like he usually did. It made it difficult for Jeongin to curl up in his side like he usually did, so instead he had to curl up pressed up against Hyunjin’s back. He still wasn’t entirely sure how to cheer Hyunjin up, but he thought that at least he could show Hyunjin that he was here for him.

Right as Jeongin started to doze off, though, he heard Hyunjin start crying.

Jeongin perked up almost immediately, feeling Hyunjin’s entire body shake from the sobs. He got up and peeked over Hyunjin’s shoulder, giving a tiny yip to let Hyunjin know he was there. Hyunjin jumped, obviously thinking Jeongin either didn’t care or had fallen asleep. He looked over his shoulder at Jeongin, his face already streaked with tears.

“Oh, hi, Baby,” Hyunjin said, his voice cracking. He sniffed and wiped at his face. “What’s up? Do you need to go out?”

Jeongin just moved forward and pressed his forehead into the side of Hyunjin’s neck, giving it a little nuzzle. Hyunjin went rigid for a few moments before letting out a shaky laugh. He rolled over, wrapped his arms around Jeongin, and hugged him to his chest. Jeongin huffed initially at being squeezed so tightly, but he shifted so it was somewhat more comfortable and continued to snuggle into Hyunjin’s neck.

Hyunjin kept crying for a long time, but he held Jeongin throughout it all. Jeongin didn’t even budge—just kept nuzzling into the soft, warm skin of Hyunjin’s neck. It was as much as he could do in this body, unfortunately. If he could speak in a way that Hyunjin understood, he was sure he could find some comforting words. But for now, he was limited to only this.

Finally, Hyunjin drew one last shaky breath and released his tight grip on Jeongin. He wiped at his eyes and nose, still sniffling. Jeongin pulled away to lick away the remains of the salty tears, one last effort to get Hyunjin to smile.

Success! Hyunjin smiled—a genuine one this time, one that made his eyes sparkle in a way Jeongin knew so well.

“Thanks, Baby,” he said, stroking Jeongin’s back. “It’s…it’s just been a rough couple of weeks.” Then he snorted and added bitterly, “A rough couple of months.”

Jeongin tilted his head to one side, hoping Hyunjin would continue.

Hyunjin did, though his eyes were distant. “I just…I don’t see the point of living. But I don’t want to die—I don’t want to kill myself or anything. I—I just—there’s nothing to look forward to. It’s just go to school, go to work, come home, study, go to sleep. Nothing more. And everyone else has boyfriends or girlfriends or a job they love or a hobby they love doing and I’m just… _here_. Going from day to day, wondering when I’ll actually get to _live_.” He let out a deep sigh and closed his eyes tightly, the tears slipping out of them once again. Jeongin was quick to lick them away, thinking he would find it disgusting if he were Hyunjin but continuing to do it anyways.

Hyunjin made a face at the slobber but laughed again. “Thanks, Baby. You take care of me, you know?”

When Jeongin smiled at him—something more difficult than the grin, since it was a curling of lips that weren’t designed to curl like that—Hyunjin blinked in surprise.

“I swear, sometimes I think there’s a person in there,” he said, studying Jeongin’s eyes. “You understand me more than anyone else, I think.”

Jeongin responded by giving him one last lick on the nose. Hyunjin giggled at that.

“Enough of me complaining, though,” Hyunjin said. “Life isn’t all _that_ bad. You’re here, aren’t you? You’re the best part of my day. Best part of my life so far.” He snorted, even as Jeongin’s chest warmed to the point where he thought he was going to combust. “How sad is that—the only notable thing about my life is that I have a pet fox. But he’s the best pet fox in the world, isn’t he?” He grinned at Jeongin as he took on somewhat of a baby voice, making Jeongin roll his eyes. He hated it when Hyunjin used that voice. It was so cringey.

Apparently his reaction made Hyunjin laugh harder, saying, “See? See? That was totally a human reaction right there!”

Jeongin wanted to stick his tongue out at him, but he figured that would _definitely_ make him seem more like a human, so he settled with just snorting at Hyunjin.

Hyunjin giggled again, rubbing Jeongin’s head as he said, “I love you, Baby.”

“I love you too,” Jeongin said without missing a beat. Of all the things he wished Hyunjin could understand, that was it.

And yet it only came out as a combination of a whine and a yip.

“I’m going to take that as you saying you love me too,” Hyunjin said.

Jeongin was convinced at this point that he was going to explode with so much happiness and love that he was going to put all of those fiery beings in the Celestial Sphere to shame. Maybe he could combust right here and turn back into a constellation. But he wasn’t even sure if he wanted to be a constellation anymore. Being a constellation meant being without Hyunjin. Jeongin couldn’t bear to live without him at this point.

“Alright, alright, let’s go to sleep now,” Hyunjin said, closing his eyes. Jeongin smiled again before settling down right at Hyunjin’s shoulder, where Hyunjin could drape an arm across Jeongin comfortably.

“Goodnight, Baby,” Hyunjin murmured.

“Goodnight, Hyunjin,” Jeongin replied.

*

The following day was another vet appointment, unfortunately. Which meant seeing Dr. Bang again. The two of them had complete opposite reactions to seeing the vet again—Hyunjin seemed unnecessarily giddy, while Jeongin scowled the entire way there.

“Oh come on, don’t pout,” Hyunjin told Jeongin while they were sitting in the waiting room. It had been a little over a month since they had last seen Dr. Bang, and Jeongin had doubled in size since then. So, Hyunjin had left the cardboard box at home and instead trusted Jeongin to behave on the leash. As if Jeongin would ever willingly misbehave, even though he hated the stupid leash and collar with a passion. “Dr. Bang is nice. It’s not gonna be as bad as the first time, I promise.”

Jeongin just grumbled and settled for looking out the window. At least there weren’t many other dogs or cats here today. Jeongin wasn’t in the mood to cower in the corner after being snarled and lunged at.

Luckily they didn’t have to wait long, because soon they were called back to their own room, where Dr. Bang came in after a moment.

Jeongin made sure to watch Hyunjin’s reaction when Dr. Bang came in this time and was not disappointed. Hyunjin looked momentarily stunned before breaking into a happy yet shy smile, with a little bit of a blush. Jeongin rolled his eyes.

“Hello, hello!” Dr. Bang said, flashing Hyunjin a smile before turning his attention to Jeongin on the weird, cold slab in the middle of the room. Jeongin wasn’t as happy to see Dr. Bang, but of course Dr. Bang didn’t know that. “Wow, you’ve gotten big!”

“Yeah, he’s a big boy now,” Hyunjin said with a little laugh.

“He’s surprisingly calm, too,” Dr. Bang remarked, quirking an eyebrow. “Usually adult foxes are pretty…defensive when they come in here. It takes like several other vet techs to help me hold them down. And sometimes a tranquilizer. ” He gave a little chuckle, then fit that weird contraption around his neck in his ears before pressing the cold, metal circle to Jeongin’s chest.

“Yeah, I did a little research after last time,” Hyunjin said. He was fidgeting—reaching back to scratch at the back of his neck, biting at his lips, picking a bit at his fingers. It was annoying. Jeongin wished he would stop. “Apparently foxes are not easy pets at all.”

Dr. Bang laughed. “Yeah, definitely not. They’re essentially wild animals that do not like to be domesticated, so they aren’t as cute and as cuddly as they seem. Has he started tearing up your house yet?”

“No, not at all,” Hyunjin said. “He literally acts just like any other dog. He’s really tame and calm. He’s never snarled at me or even had an accident in the apartment. And he loves cuddles.”

“He is acting ridiculously tame right now,” Dr. Bang said in amusement. He shrugged. “There are always exceptions. But I’m not complaining.” Both he and Hyunjin laughed, and Jeongin just snorted at the starry-eyed look on Hyunjin’s face.

The two of them chatted throughout the rest of the checkup, while Jeongin just sat there, looking in between the two of them. He couldn’t help thinking that this entire checkup could have taken ten minutes, and yet they had been here for at least twenty. Just…talking. And laughing. And smiling at each other. Hyunjin kept asking questions about foxes, and Dr. Bang kept answering, and they kept finding a way to talk about an answer that already had the shortest explanation.

Finally, though, Dr. Bang checked his watch and said, “Oh, shoot, I have to go. Already a couple minutes late to my next appointment.” He looked up at Hyunjin with an apologetic smile.

“Oh, sorry about that!” Hyunjin jumped to his feet, already blushing. “I didn’t mean to keep you.”

“No, no, don’t worry about it, it’s only a couple minutes.” Dr. Bang waved the thought aside with another laugh. “Baby seems perfectly healthy, though!”

Jeongin rolled his eyes, which thankfully went unnoticed by both of them.

“Oh, good to hear,” Hyunjin said with a smile. “I’ve heard it’s not easy to find vets who will treat foxes, so thank you so much for all you’ve done.”

“No problem.” Dr. Bang smiled back at him. They stared at each other for a few moments, during which Jeongin decided that he had had enough of whatever _this_ was and gave a little yip. It made both of them jump and snap out of it, apparently just now realizing that they were staring. Dr. Bang covered it up by quickly looking down at a little notepad and pen he pulled out of his coat pocket.

“Actually,” Dr. Bang said, scribbling something down, “if you have any more questions, feel free to give me a call. Or shoot me a text, if that’s easier for you. This is my personal number.” He tore off the paper and handed it to Hyunjin.

“Oh.” Hyunjin looked surprised, but in a pleasant way. He grinned as he took the paper from Dr. Bang. “Thank you! I’ll call or text if I think of another question, which I’m sure I will.”

Dr. Bang shot him a wink, so smooth and quick that Jeongin almost missed it. But Dr. Bang was already preparing to walk out of the room, so Jeongin couldn’t tell if he had actually done it or if Jeongin had just imagined it. “Bye, Baby, you were really good today! Keep it up!” He patted Jeongin on the head. Then he turned to Hyunjin, who gave him a shy smile, which Dr. Bang returned before saying, “Until next time, Hyunjin.”

“Until then, Dr. Bang,” Hyunjin replied.

Hyunjin would _not_ stop smiling all the way home. Jeongin had mixed feelings about it. On one hand (er—paw?), he was happy that Hyunjin was finally happy, especially after the events of the night prior. Jeongin still wasn’t entirely sure what had caused Hyunjin’s sadness last night, but he didn’t want to see him hurt again. If Dr. Bang made him happy, then that should be enough for Jeongin, right?

But on the other hand (paw—whatever), Jeongin couldn’t help… _bristling_ at the entire situation. It didn’t even have to do with the fact that Dr. Bang had poked and prodded at him the first time they had met. He had just been doing his job as a vet. Jeongin was past that. But Jeongin still did not like this situation. At all.

“You’re jealous,” Jisung said later that day, when Jeongin was sulking out on the balcony. Hyunjin was inside, talking with his best friend Seungmin on the phone. Apparently Seungmin didn’t live in this city. He lived somewhere else, though he was moving to this city soon. Jeongin looked forward to meeting him, whenever that was. “You’re jealous and a bit possessive.”

“Am not,” Jeongin retorted. “I want Hyunjin to be happy. Dr. Bang apparently makes him happy. If Hyunjin’s happy, I’m happy.”

“Happy, happy, happy,” Minho piped up. “Everyone’s _so_ happy.”

“I think _you_ want to be the source of Hyunjin’s happiness,” Jisung told Jeongin. “Just you. No one else. _And_ I think you hate the fact that someone else might be coming into his life and pulling him away from you.”

“Well when you put it that way I _do_ sound jealous and possessive,” Jeongin said. “But none of that is true at all! I’m—”

“—happy for Hyunjin, yes, so you’ve said,” Minho interrupted. “Jeongin, let me just give you another piece of my infinite wisdom.” Jisung scoffed at that, but Minho ignored him and continued, “From what I have seen, the owners and their pets usually drift apart the moment the owner gets a mate. The pet gets pushed aside and forgotten. That’s just how it is.”

Jeongin sat up so quickly he almost fell over. “Hyunjin’s going to forget about me?!”

“No, no, that’s not—” Jisung tried to say.

“He’s going to abandon me?” Jeongin’s heart was shattering into a million tiny pieces as he started to tremble. “He’s going to fall in love with Dr. Bang instead and leave me behind?”

“Nice going, asshole, you made him sad,” Jisung scoffed at Minho. To Jeongin, he said, “That’s not going to happen, Jeongin. Trust me, humans do not abandon their pets so easily. They don’t just give up members of their family like that. But things will change a little bit if Dr. Bang comes more into the picture.”

Jeongin was pacing now, unaware that he was whimpering until Hyunjin called from inside the apartment, “Baby! What are you doing? What’s wrong, huh?”

“Hyunjin isn’t going to abandon you, Jeongin,” Jisung said. “He’d never. He loves you.”

“I don’t want to talk to you anymore,” Jeongin said before running inside.

Hyunjin was sitting on the couch, though he raised his eyebrows when he saw Jeongin walk around the corner. “Hi,” Hyunjin said, the phone still pressed to his ear. “What got you so riled up, huh?”

“The sun and the stupid moon,” Jeongin grumbled, hopping up onto the couch and resting his head in Hyunjin’s lap.

“All good now,” Hyunjin hummed, automatically stroking Jeongin’s back. He went back to talking to Seungmin, and Jeongin was happy to hear that most of the conversation was about _him._ And nothing about Dr. Bang. As it should be.

It was just going to be Jeongin and Hyunjin, Hyunjin and Jeongin. No Jeongin, Hyunjin, and Dr. Bang. Just Jeongin and Hyunjin. That’s how it was meant to be. Everyone would be much happier this way.

Jeongin let his eyes slide shut as he focused on Hyunjin’s soothing touch and the melodic sound of his voice. He let it lull him to sleep.

*

Jeongin didn’t hear anything about Dr. Bang—or _Chan_ , apparently, was his real name—for days. And Hyunjin didn’t seem as down anymore. There were times he still cried and made disgusted looks at himself in the mirror, but they weren’t anything like that one night. Jeongin honestly thought that things were going well.

But then Hyunjin seemed _too_ happy. Again, Jeongin didn’t understand why he had mixed feelings. He supposed it was just so _strange._ All of a sudden Hyunjin was spending a lot of time in front of the mirror, humming and singing and dancing along to some music playing from his speaker. He was even putting more effort into his appearance, which he rarely did. Not that Hyunjin ever looked _bad_ , it was just that he usually didn’t wake up early enough to put on makeup and everything before he had to run out the door to get to class.

The whole scenario was just strange and gave Jeongin an uneasy feeling. Apparently Hyunjin even noticed Jeongin’s sour mood because he paused from going out the door to kiss Jeongin on the head and said, “Don’t pout. I’ll be back later tonight, okay? You can sleep on the bed or the couch. Love you, bye!” Then he was gone.

Jeongin didn’t sleep on the bed or the couch. He sat in front of the door and waited.

He waited and waited and waited.

At one point he dozed off, though he jolted awake when he heard the familiar sound of the key turning in the lock. A moment later, Hyunjin stepped inside, looking just as happy as he did when he left.

“Baby!” he whisper-yelled when he saw Jeongin sitting there. “What are you going? Go to sleep. It’s past Baby’s bedtime!”

Jeongin just huffed.

Hyunjin crouched down at his level and grinned. “Aw, did you miss me? I missed you too.” He rubbed Jeongin’s head. From this close, Jeongin caught a whiff of all kinds of different scents, the most prominent being Dr. Bang Chan’s.

Jeongin couldn’t help recoiling, but Hyunjin didn’t notice. He just planted a kiss on Jeongin’s head and stood, once again humming to himself as he headed for the bathroom.

Jeongin naively hoped that that was the last they had seen of Bang Chan. Of course he was wrong about that too.

Hyunjin went out and came back several more times smelling like a variety of scents mixed in with Chan’s. Each outing seemed to take longer and longer to the point where Hyunjin was out all night, and Jeongin had nothing else to do but fall asleep on the hard wood by the front door.

He hated it. He hated it so much. Hyunjin was already gone during the day for school and work. Nights were all that he and Jeongin had. Nights were for watching a movie, which Hyunjin would cry at regardless of whether it was happy or sad, where Jeongin would cheer him up by wagging his tail and licking his face. Nights were for eating late-night snacks together and then going out for walks together. Nights were for sitting out on the balcony together, where Jeongin would ignore Minho’s comments in favor of snoozing in Hyunjin’s lap instead. Nights were for falling asleep curled up together in Hyunjin’s huge, comfy bed.

Nights were _theirs._ Until Bang Chan came in and took them away from them.

It was one of those late night outings again. Jeongin was still waiting by the door, trying not to fall asleep, when he heard voices and giggles and the sound of the key turning in the lock. A moment later, Hyunjin was stumbling into the room, but for once, he wasn’t alone.

No, he brought _Chan_ with him.

Jeongin scowled, especially when the two of them didn’t even notice him right away. Instead Hyunjin kicked the door shut before Chan shoved him up against it and kissed him. He kissed him so roughly, but Hyunjin seemed to love it, because he closed his eyes and threw his arms around Chan’s neck to pull him impossibly closer. He even let out this breathy moan when Chan pressed his own body up against Hyunjin’s.

“God, Chan—” Hyunjin started to say breathlessly as Chan moved against him when there was a loud, annoyed bark at their feet.

The two of them visibly jumped and pulled apart just enough to look down at Jeongin, who was full-on bristling at the sight of them.

“Oh, hi, Baby,” Hyunjin said, giving a little giggle that was the complete opposite of the moans he had been making only seconds before.

“Awkward,” Chan said in a sing-song voice, making both of them giggle at each other, which then led to Chan planting quick kisses all over Hyunjin’s face, which _then_ led to Hyunjin grinning so widely that his eyes turned into little crescents.

“I should probably take care of him real quick,” Hyunjin told Chan in between Chan pressing kisses to his lips. “Is that okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, of course.” Chan smiled and gave Hyunjin one last kiss.

“Great.” Hyunjin smiled back at him. “You can go head into the bedroom, though. Get comfortable.” He arched an eyebrow suggestively.

“Don’t worry, I won’t start without you.” Chan mimicked Hyunjin’s suggestive look back at him before stepping away.

“You better not!” Hyunjin said. “Otherwise there’ll be consequences.”

“That’s hot,” Chan said. “God, you’re so hot—” And then he didn’t seem to be able to stop himself from grabbing Hyunjin’s face and kissing him just as roughly as before. Thankfully there wasn’t as much movement elsewhere, but the sight still annoyed Jeongin to no end.

He was about to start growling, but Hyunjin pulled away from Chan before he could do that.

“I’m just gonna take him for a quick walk outside and then I’ll be right there,” Hyunjin told Chan.

“Sounds good.” Chan smiled, ran a thumb over Hyunjin’s lips, then pulled back. With a flirty wink, he turned on his heel and headed for the bedroom.

He didn’t even _see_ the way Hyunjin bit his bottom lip and watched him with a hungry look in his eye as he walked away. But of course Jeongin did. And now Jeongin wished he could burn that from his memory.

Hyunjin looked back at Jeongin and smiled, completely changing personalities once again. “Let’s do a quick walk, okay?”

“Walk” was a generous term. They basically stepped outside to the little park across the street from the apartment building, where Jeongin humored Hyunjin and did his business (he _did_ have to go, but that was irrelevant). He had half a mind to take his sweet ol’ time out there to make Hyunjin and Chan wait longer, but Hyunjin hurried him along and picked him up the moment after Jeongin was finished.

Hyunjin checked that Jeongin had fresh water, then gave him a hotdog to distract him before slipping inside the bedroom and closing the door behind him.

Jeongin cursed at himself for letting his stupid fox brain get distracted by the hotdog, since that hesitation cost him. He could have easily darted into the room had he not been so _weak_. But no, now he was forced to stay out of his own bedroom for the rest of the night.

Despite this being his first time on Earth, Jeongin wasn’t a complete idiot. He knew what they were doing. Beings in the Celestial Sphere did it all the time, since they were immortal beings who liked to enjoy themselves, after all. Not Jeongin, though. He had never been interested in that. He still wasn’t interested in it. If anything, it just made him feel even lonelier.

He and Hyunjin really were going to drift apart after this, weren’t they?

Jeongin couldn’t help whimpering to himself and curling up outside the door.

It took a great deal of effort, but eventually he dozed off and stayed there until morning.

*

Hyunjin woke Jeongin up by tripping over him.

“Son of a—holy shit, Baby!” Hyunjin yelped almost as loud as Jeongin. “What are you _doing there_? Oh my god, did I hurt you?”

Hyunjin fell to his knees by Jeongin, already taking Jeongin’s head in his hands and checking him over. Jeongin was a bit surprised, but he wasn’t hurt. He reassured Hyunjin by licking at his face and wagging his tail, thinking that Hyunjin had finally come to get him, finally come to bring him back into the room with them, finally come to assure him that he wasn’t going to abandon him and that they were going to be together forever and—

“Hold on one second and I’ll feed you,” Hyunjin said, standing and shutting the bedroom door quietly. Then he slipped into the bathroom and shut _that_ door behind him too.

Jeongin just stood there, his mouth hanging open.

When Hyunjin came out of the bathroom, he went to the kitchen. Jeongin followed right on his heels, once again letting his heart lift hopefully. Maybe they could spend all day together. Maybe stupid Chan would go home and Hyunjin and Jeongin could go for a walk and then watch a movie and cuddle the rest of the day.

But no. Hyunjin gave Jeongin his breakfast, started brewing the coffee, and went right back to the bedroom. And _shut the stupid door behind him—_

One day, Jeongin was going to destroy that door.

He finished eating and went to go sit outside the bedroom again. He listened to the low murmur of Hyunjin and Chan’s voices, the sound of their laughter, the sound of them kissing again—

Oh. Great. Another round.

Jeongin turned sharply on his heel and went over to the balcony. He knew how to open the sliding glass door. He had seen Hyunjin do it multiple times before. All he had to do was knock the board in the track away, jump up and push the lock up to unlock it, and tug on the little rag Hyunjin had tied to the handle. Voila, the door was open.

(And yes, he _could_ open all of the other doors in the apartment except for the front door. And yes, that _was_ an option, but he didn’t want to risk Hyunjin getting mad at him for barging into whatever intimate moment he and Chan were having. So Jeongin didn’t open up the bedroom door…for now.)

Jeongin trotted out to the farthest edge of the balcony (which, admittedly, wasn’t very far), sat down, and pouted.

At least out here he could sabotage his ridiculously good hearing with the sounds of the city. He wished he had done this last night.

There was the sound of someone clearing their voice, and then a tentative, “Uh, Jeongin?”

Jeongin didn’t acknowledge Jisung, mostly because he wasn’t in the mood.

“Bad time, I know, but you’re out and alone so I just thought, ‘What the heck?’ And now here I am. Talking to you. It’s like talking to a wall. Why are you sulking so much?”

“You know why,” Jeongin grumbled.

“Ah, I do, don’t I,” Jisung said. “Well…I also know something else that might cheer you up~”

“I doubt that.”

“No, no, I promise it will! It’s about Woojin!”

That did get Jeongin’s attention, though it definitely didn’t cheer him up. He just lifted his head to squint up at the sky.

“Thought that might get ya!” Jisung said happily. “But really—Minho and I both saw him. Get this—he’s in the city! Not too far from you, either! He’s still very elusive, but we found him!”

“Really?” Jeongin couldn’t help perking his ears up just a little.

“Really!” Jisung said. “Well…alright, I’ll admit that Woojin really _isn’t_ that elusive, it’s just that there are so many people to keep track of, you know? Especially when they’re so condensed into tiny little areas like this—but anyways! He has a bookshop and a cute little apartment right above it, right by the river! Great place. Expensive, though. I don’t know how he got it. If you want me to lead you to him, I will.”

Jeongin’s heart sank anyways as he looked back at the sliding glass door. Did he want to go see Woojin? Woojin seemed like the end goal…after all, why did he want to find Woojin again? Oh, right, because he didn’t want to be stuck in this fox body anymore. Could Woojin turn him into a human, or would he just send him back to the Celestial Sphere?

Or would he refuse to help Jeongin and just leave him to fend for himself?

If Jeongin left…Hyunjin would be devastated. But he would probably move on and forget about Jeongin quickly. He wouldn’t think to look for Jeongin or welcome him home if Jeongin did try to come back.

Going to Woojin meant leaving Hyunjin for good. Did Jeongin really think that Hyunjin was already too far out of reach?

No. He didn’t. It was just one night. Hyunjin still remembered to feed him and give him _some_ attention. And it was still early enough in the day. There was still time where Jeongin and Hyunjin could be together like before.

Jeongin wouldn’t give up on Hyunjin just yet.

“Thanks, Jisung,” Jeongin said, looking up at the sun. “But I’m going to stay here for now.”

“You sure?” Jisung sounded a bit skeptical.

“Yeah.” Jeongin looked back at the door, where Hyunjin and Chan were finally coming out of the bedroom and heading to the kitchen. Hyunjin was already glancing around and calling out for Jeongin. “I’m sure.”

With that, he headed back into the apartment.

*

Jisung and Minho were right—things did change. But they were also wrong, because things didn’t do a complete one-eighty overnight. Instead, the changes were small. Gradual.

Over the course of a couple months, Jeongin could do nothing but watch as Hyunjin and Chan became closer and closer. At first, it was just Hyunjin going out a couple nights a week, leaving Jeongin to mope by the door until he came home.

Some nights, Hyunjin would bring Chan back with him and they would take the bedroom, leaving Jeongin to sleep out on the couch.

Other nights, Hyunjin wouldn’t come home at all until late the next morning, wearing clothes that were definitely not his that also smelled strongly of Chan. Jeongin didn’t like those nights. He felt too lonely and anxious to sleep, which caused his deepest fears to inevitably keep him company. Even though Hyunjin always came back, Jeongin still worried about a day when he wouldn’t.

When Hyunjin wasn’t out with Chan or when Chan wasn’t at the apartment, Hyunjin was talking to him on the phone. Jeongin didn’t have a problem with that, since Hyunjin usually laid on the bed or the couch when he talked to Chan, holding the phone in one hand and petting Jeongin with the other. Plus, Jeongin could listen in on both sides of the conversation. He rarely received any useful information by doing that since Chan and Hyunjin talked about the _stupidest_ things, but he did it anyways.

This situation wasn’t all bad. Hyunjin was still here for most of the time. He still gave Jeongin as much attention as before. He still took Jeongin for walks and cuddled him at night and talked to him like he knew Jeongin was listening. Despite those few nights where Jeongin slept alone, he thought that he might be able to accept Chan’s role in both of their lives.

After two months or so, though, Chan started showing up a _lot_ more. He came over during Hyunjin’s days off. Sometimes they ended up leaving the apartment together, much to Jeongin’s annoyance. Sometimes they just stayed in and cuddled on the couch while watching a movie, which Jeongin hated even _more_. _He_ was supposed to be the one sitting next to Hyunjin, _he_ was supposed to be the one getting all of the cuddles, _he_ was supposed to be the one to comfort Hyunjin when Hyunjin inevitably cried at any scene with the slightest amount of emotional appeal. Not stupid _Chan_.

Additionally, _Jeongin_ was the one who should be eating dinner with Hyunjin, not Chan. _Jeongin_ was the one who should be sleeping next to Hyunjin at night, not Chan. _Jeongin_ was the one who should be listening to Hyunjin talk about his day, to make him laugh, to make him smile, to cheer him up, to be the one Hyunjin loved the most—

But he wasn’t. Because he was just a pet fox. Nothing more.

At one point, Jeongin seriously considered leaving to find Woojin, to beg him to help him change forms. He didn’t want to be a fox anymore. He didn’t want to be a constellation, either. He wanted to be human. Maybe then Hyunjin would finally see him for _him_.

He shook off that idea when he thought about how his disappearance would hurt Hyunjin and that Chan would be the first person Hyunjin would turn to. Jeongin didn’t like any of that at all. So he stayed. And he waited. For what, he didn’t know.

After four months of Hyunjin and Chan officially dating, Hyunjin was the first one to say _I love you_. It was so casual, and unfortunately Jeongin was there to witness it. The three of them were out for a walk, during which Hyunjin and Chan had their arms linked, and Jeongin was scowling, unable to keep his ears from flattening against his head. He had stopped listening to their conversation a while ago, mostly because it made him sick to his stomach with jealousy. Instead he thought of other things, like what the world smelled like today, or what he was going to eat for dinner. Nothing more than that, really. His mind was so empty, so focused on being _blank_ , that he was surprised he even heard Hyunjin say it.

Granted, first he heard Hyunjin’s laugh, followed by him saying, “You’re such a _dork_. God, I love you.”

There was a beat of silence, during which even Jeongin perked up a little bit to look back at them. Hyunjin was staring at Chan in horror, like he had not meant to say that at all, while Chan was staring back at him in total surprise but with the faintest trace of a smile. That beat of silence passed, and then Chan broke into the biggest smile, one that showed off the dimples that Hyunjin had repeatedly said he loved.

“Oh my god, I said that way too early, didn’t I,” Hyunjin said, covering his face in embarrassment as Chan laughed.

“No, no, not at all!” Chan said, still grinning and giggling as he put an arm around Hyunjin’s shoulders. “It just caught me off-guard, that’s all.”  
Hyunjin just groaned and let Chan hug his head to his chest (which was somewhat comical, considering Hyunjin was taller than Chan). “I’m sorry,” Hyunjin mumbled into his hands.

“Don’t be,” Chan said. “I love you too, Hyunjin.”

And then of course they had “a moment” where Hyunjin pulled back to stare at Chan in disbelief before Chan pulled him back for a kiss.

Jeongin felt like throwing up. He also strangely felt this surge of recklessness, like if he slipped the collar and ran away right now, they wouldn’t be fast enough to catch him. He’d be free!

Jeongin shook his head to clear those thoughts. Not only were they unwanted, they were unnecessary. Jeongin was happy for the two of them. Happy that Hyunjin had found some reason to make life worth living.

Happy, happy, happy.

Jeongin thought that recklessness would disappear, but after that day, it kept resurfacing. It happened when he was left alone in the apartment one day, when he got bored of sitting in front of the door and decided that the loose thread in the rug in front of the couch looked enticing. He pawed at it, then grabbed onto the end of it and pulled when it came free with no resistance whatsoever. Then he pulled on more and more of those threads surrounding it, discovering that the more resistant threads were much more satisfying to pull.

He really didn’t know how to explain what came over him in those moments. It was like his mind went blank again, and when he snapped out of it, there was a massive hole in the middle of the rug. Hyunjin came home, saw the hole and mess immediately, and started screaming. Jeongin had never heard him yell like that before. He had never heard Hyunjin tell him so heatedly, “ _Bad_ fox! Bad, bad, _bad_ fox!”

Those simple words were enough to make Jeongin pin his ears against his head and run off to hide under Hyunjin’s bed. As he curled up in the tightest ball possible in the farthest corner possible, Hyunjin’s words played over and over in his head. _Bad fox!_ They tore at Jeongin’s heart. He deserved those words, though. He had done something very bad, and now Hyunjin was mad at him.

This was going to be the tipping point, wasn’t it? This was going to make Hyunjin hate him and throw him out. This was the end of everything.

Jeongin stayed curled up under the bed for the rest of the day, until Hyunjin finally came to coax him out.

“Come on, Baby,” Hyunjin said in his usual soft, soothing voice. “Come on, it’s okay. Let’s get some food, yeah? That sounds good, doesn’t it?”

It did sound good, unfortunately. It was only because of Jeongin’s empty stomach that he crawled out, though his head was lowered. He couldn’t look Hyunjin in the eye.

“Aw,” Hyunjin said, picking him up and hugging him to his chest. “I’m not mad, Baby. But you can’t eat rugs anymore, okay? Or anything that’s not food, for that matter. No tearing up the apartment while I’m gone, or else I’ll have to lock you in the bathroom again.”

Jeongin hated the bathroom. But not as much as he hated disappointing Hyunjin. He would never do anything reckless again.

That lasted for about a day. Then it happened again. This time Jeongin chewed through a lamp cord after he knocked the lamp off the end table by the couch. Once again, he wasn’t sure what overcame him. It was just this _boredom_ and the sudden urge to run around the apartment and destroy things. His mind was suddenly blank, and then Hyunjin was back and yelling at him and calling him a bad fox again. And then he was back to hiding under the bed until Hyunjin came to drag him out.

It wouldn’t happen again. Jeongin wouldn’t let it.

And yet it happened a third time. This time Jeongin had to go to the bathroom, but instead of holding it, he just let it go. Like he used to do, back when he lived in the forest. It felt more natural that way.

Of course Chan came in with Hyunjin that day. Not only was Hyunjin mad at Jeongin more than usual, but Jeongin had to deal with Chan playing the good guy and saying, “It was just an accident, it’s okay. You don’t have to yell at him, it’s fine, really. Here, I’ll help.”

Jeongin didn’t want Chan siding with him and being all nice and calm and considerate. He hated it.

The fourth time it happened, Chan tried to pet him. And Jeongin snarled at him.

It wasn’t even anything out of the ordinary. Whenever Chan came over, he always said, “Hi, Baby!” and gave Jeongin a little pat on the head. He even snuck Jeongin treats from his pocket when Hyunjin wasn’t looking.

But this time, Jeongin was full of restlessness from being cooped up in the apartment all day and was not in the mood to deal with stupid Chan. So when Chan went to pat his head, Jeongin snarled and even snapped at him.

“Whoa!” Chan jerked his hand back, his eyes wide.

Hyunjin gasped. “Baby! No! Bad fox!” And then he went to make sure _Chan_ was alright.

Jeongin bolted, heading straight for his usual spot under the bed. But even as he ran away, he could hear Chan saying, “It’s alright. I’m alright. It’s my fault, really. Shouldn’t’ve tried to pet him like that. All animals get a little jumpy and defensive when they see this random hand coming at them. It’s not his fault.”

Jeongin couldn’t hear Hyunjin’s response, but he could hear the sympathy and concern in Hyunjin’s voice, laced with anger at Jeongin.

 _Bad fox_.

Jeongin whimpered and curled tighter into himself. He really was a bad fox.

He really should have noticed that something was wrong with him when he stopped listening to Jisung and Minho. Well, he never _really_ listened to Jisung and Minho because they had stupid advice, but in this case, he didn’t even _hear_ them. Whenever he sat out on the balcony (only when Hyunjin was home, now, since Hyunjin didn’t trust him enough to sit out there on his own), he just stared out at the city, aching to disappear into it and never look back. The sun was just the sun. The moon was just the moon. They didn’t speak. They especially didn’t speak to foxes. There was nothing to hear.

As time progressed, Jeongin stopped resisting that recklessness. That wildness. He chased after birds and bunnies at the park. He chewed through more things at home—shoes, furniture, anything scented, even the floor in the bathroom when Hyunjin started locking him in there during the day. Sometimes he snapped out of his daze long enough to realize what he was doing and to feel bad about it. Sometimes he just growled whenever Hyunjin yelled at him and ran under the bed again. Sometimes it took him hours to snap out of it.

It was those moments that scared Jeongin the most. They terrified him. They terrified him enough for him to lie awake at night (in the bathroom again, since Hyunjin stopped letting him sleep in the bedroom with him and Chan), wondering over and over again what was happening to him.

One night Hyunjin came home in tears. He slammed the door behind him and collapsed to the floor, his back pressed up against the door as he sobbed into his hands.

It was the sound that drew Jeongin out of the bathroom, since he had long figured out how to open the door and explore the apartment as much as he pleased when Hyunjin wasn’t there. He approached Hyunjin slowly, stopping when he was still several feet away. He supposed he should feel something. Hyunjin was crying, after all. Shouldn’t Jeongin feel sad too? Shouldn’t he want to comfort him?

Hyunjin must have sensed Jeongin staring at him and looked up. Relief crossed his face when he saw Jeongin standing there. “Hi, Baby,” he said, his voice all cracked. He sniffed, wiped at his eyes, and held out his hand to Jeongin. “Come here.”

Jeongin just looked at him for a few moments before turning and walking away. He didn’t even see the way Hyunjin’s face flashed with confusion and pain. He didn’t even really _care_.

All he really cared about was that Hyunjin was there to give him food the following morning. Hyunjin’s face was puffy, his eyes red. There were dark rings under his eyes. And yet Jeongin noticed none of this as Hyunjin set down his bowl full of food. He didn’t notice how Hyunjin watched him eat with the same confused and pained look from the night before.

He didn’t notice how Chan didn’t show up that day, or the day after that, or the day after that. He didn’t notice how Hyunjin spent most of his time laying on his bed, either staring at the wall or staring at his phone. He didn’t notice how Hyunjin cried himself to sleep almost every single night.

He only noticed when one night Hyunjin crouched down in front of Jeongin while Jeongin was finishing up his dinner.

“Baby,” Hyunjin said.

Jeongin didn’t look up at him. He was too busy licking the bowl clean of any tiny scrap of food.

“Hey,” Hyunjin said. “Baby. Remember me? Huh? Your Hyunjinnie? Your Hyunjinnie who loves you more than anything?”

Jeongin would be lying if he said that those words did nothing to him, but they did. They stirred the slightest bit of recognition in the back of his mind and in his heart, but that was quickly forgotten by the need to get a drink of water.

“What’s wrong with you?” Hyunjin whispered, his voice broken. “Why are you acting so weird?”

Jeongin finished getting a drink of water and went back to sniffing around the bowls for any other dropped food.

Hyunjin sighed. “You don’t even let me pet you anymore—” He reached out to Jeongin out of habit and lightly touched the back of Jeongin’s neck.

Jeongin didn’t know what happened—he just _reacted._ There was something touching him, something that could be dangerous, something that he needed to fight off—

He jerked away and snapped at Hyunjin’s hand, except Hyunjin wasn’t fast enough in pulling away. Jeongin bit his hand hard enough to tear the skin.

Hyunjin screamed and jumped backwards, holding his bloodied, injured hand to his chest. It was the scream that made Jeongin finally snap out of whatever trance he had been in for weeks, the one that instantly caused all of his thoughts and emotions to come flooding back. His eyes locked in on the bloody gashes on Hyunjin’s hand, the horror and guilt dawning on him.

Hyunjin stared down at his hand in a mixture of disbelief, horror, and pain, already starting to hyperventilate. Then he looked at Jeongin, who cowered in front of him with his ears pinned back and his tail in between his legs. They stared at each other for a split second before Hyunjin whispered in disbelief, “Baby.”

Jeongin couldn’t take it anymore. He bolted.

As he hid under his usual spot under the bed, he couldn’t stop trembling. He had just hurt Hyunjin. He had just hurt _Hyunjin_ , the one person he loved more than anything, the one person he told himself he would never, ever hurt.

But he did hurt him. He really, really hurt him.

Weeks of pent-up pain and guilt came rushing out. Jeongin had never been able to actually shed tears in this body, but for the first time, real tears fell.

In the living room, he could hear Hyunjin talking to someone. Could hear the way his voice trembled. Could pick out words like _Seungmin_ and _Baby_ and _bleeding_ and _it’s_ _cut open to the bone—I can see bone—oh god—_

Jeongin just shut his eyes tightly, the tears still falling, his entire body shaking. He was struggling to breathe. The pain in his chest was like fire—burning and eating away at him and choking him. He couldn’t get that look of pain and betrayal in Hyunjin’s eyes out of his head. He couldn’t get the image of Hyunjin’s bloodied, mangled hand, of the flesh torn and laid open to the bone—

The front door slammed, and the apartment went silent. Hyunjin was gone. Despite Jeongin’s instincts, he crawled out from under the bed. He crept towards the kitchen, where there was blood all over the floor. He could smell it, even taste it. It stirred up something in the back of his mind, some sort of primal urge that almost craved it—

Jeongin snapped out of it and ran to the sliding glass door. He struggled in his haste to get it open, but he managed to open it just enough for him to squeeze out. He stumbled onto the balcony, where he was already crying out for Minho, since Jisung had long disappeared beyond the horizon.

Minho answered almost immediately. “What the hell just happened to Hyunjin? He’s bleeding. And going to the hospital.”

“I hurt him,” Jeongin said through sobs. “I hurt him, Minho, I didn’t even think about it—”

Minho was clearly caught off-guard, but he still said, “It’s okay, Jeongin, he’ll be alright.”

Jeongin shook his head, thinking that Hyunjin may be alright in the end, but the two of them would never be the same again. Jeongin had officially just made his worst dream come true—he had driven the two of them apart. Hyunjin would never want him after this. Would never trust him again. And it was all Jeongin’s fault.

“I can’t stay like this anymore,” Jeongin said. “I can’t, I can’t—take me to Woojin. Please, Minho, tell me where Woojin is.”

Minho didn’t even have a sarcastic remark. “Alright,” is all he said.

Jeongin gulped down his tears and nodded. Minho began to tell him where to go, and Jeongin followed his instructions. He never once looked back at the apartment, at all the blood and tears and destruction within it. All of which he had caused. The one true home he had ruined.

He didn’t think he deserved to look back. So he didn’t.

*

It wasn’t unusual to sit outside late at night, but few others did it, which was why it was the perfect time to sit outside and watch the world turn. Woojin loved nothing more than to sit out on a bench by the riverfront, just listening. Occasionally a person or two walked by, but they rarely paid Woojin any attention, mostly because they didn’t even know he was sitting there. He preferred it that way, preferred to go by unnoticed when he pleased. He was perfectly content with just sitting there and observing; after being the observed for so long, this simple activity was liberating.

But unfortunately even he had an observer or two despite his best efforts. Tonight it was just one, since there can only be one at night.

“Woojin,” Minho said from overhead.

Woojin sighed but didn’t look up. “So you’ve found me.”

“I never lost you.”

“That’s a lie if I’ve ever heard one.”

Minho didn’t respond to that, but instead said, “I need your help.”

“How could the moon possibly need my help? After all, I’m just a man.”

“Let me rephrase that— _I_ don’t need your help, but someone else does.”

“Tell them to find someone else,” Woojin said.

“Well, if you know someone else who has gone from a constellation to an animal to a man, let me know and I’ll happily redirect them.”

That made Woojin pause. He suspected that was why Minho had told him that. Woojin wasn’t a loner per se, but he liked to keep to himself and didn’t appreciate everyone rushing to him to fix all of their problems.

However, Minho’s comment changed things.

“Who is it?” Woojin asked after a beat of silence.

“Vulpecula,” Minho replied. “And I already told him where to find you.”

Vulpecula. The little fox. Woojin had never spoken a word to him in his life. But he supposed there was a first for everything.

“Alright,” Woojin said. “Just this once.”

Minho just snorted at that. They both knew that was also a lie if either of them had ever heard one.

Woojin went back to watching this sliver of the world, and Minho went back to watching over a much larger portion of it. Both of them waited in silence for the little fox.

When the little fox finally showed, trembling, wide-eyed, with a little bit of dried blood matted in his fur, Woojin gave him a warm smile and said, “Hello. I’ve been waiting for you. I’ve heard you’re missing home. Let me help you find it again.”

And the little fox simply cried with relief.

**Author's Note:**

> I totally intended for Jeongin to turn human and then reconnect with Hyunjin at the end, but it didn’t fit into this fic’s story arc. So I’m planning on turning this into a series. Usually I don’t post anything until I have all of it 100% finished, but I’m kinda going through a rough patch and am really unmotivated to write anything. So the plan is for there to be a continuation of this story, but I don’t know how soon that will be. Could be in a few days, could be in a few months. We’ll see. 
> 
> But if you made it this far, thank you so much for reading! :)


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